Light's Reincarnation Theory
An Unnamed Shinigami debuted in the Death Note anime film Death Note Relight 1: Visions of a God which only aired in Japan, but was directly released on DVD overseas. Like Ryuk, he too was bored with the Shinigami Realm. This Shinigami has a skeletal figure, dons a coat, a pair of goggles, uses a tie as a headband and carries a large skeletal object which he uses like a hammer. The object was used to threaten the Shinigami Deridovely, Gukku and Zellogi into revealing Ryuk's location. An Unnamed Shinigami debuted in the Death Note anime film Death Note Relight 1: Visions of a God which only aired in Japan, but was directly released on DVD overseas. Like Ryuk, he too was bored with the Shinigami Realm. This Shinigami has a skeletal figure, dons a coat, a pair of goggles, uses a tie as a headband and carries a large skeletal object which he uses like a hammer. The object was used to threaten the Shinigami Deridovely, Gukku and Zellogi into revealing Ryuk's location. Taking an interest in Ryuk's visit to the human realm, the Shinigami finds Ryuk on top of a mountain and offers Ryuk a Apple in exchange for information on how to undertake passage into the human world. Although not completely satisfied with the apple's taste, Ryuk agrees to tell the story of Light Yagami in regards to the Death Note. Taking an interest in Ryuk's visit to the human realm, the Shinigami finds Ryuk on top of a mountain and offers Ryuk a Apple in exchange for information on how to undertake passage into the human world. Although not completely satisfied with the apple's taste, Ryuk agrees to tell the story of Light Yagami in regards to the Death NoteSome members of the Death Note fan base have theorized that the unnamed Shinigami featured in the anime special, Death Note Relight is the reincarnation of Light Yagami. Although just as many fans have debated the contrary, there has still been no conclusive evidence to confirm either stance and the matter is likely open to mere interpretation. Similarities to Light Yagami There are supposedly several pieces of evidence for this assertion: Appearance and Physical Design *He wears a coat that looks very similar to the one Light was wearing when he died. *The Shinigami limps, similar to Light as he walks towards the warehouse after being shot. *He also sports a red tie around his head that's similar to the tie of Light's high school uniform, *Carries a messenger bag almost identical to the one Light often carried with him when he was in high school. *The Shinigami's mouth is shaped like Light's "Kira" smile. *He also has bright red eyes, identical to Light's red eyes at certain points in the anime (Light's being a result of artistic coloring used during particular moments of intensity). *Light also stands in the Shinigami Realm during the end of the second intro sequence- a possible foreshadowing of his reincarnation. *The Shinigami also sports the same brown hair as Light's. Dialogue and Actions *The Unnamed Shinigami inexplicably knows Ryuk's love for apples. although this could be explained by how he threatened Ryuks "friends" for info on his location *He walks up stairs to meet Ryuk, which could be seen as a subtle reference to Light's death *The way he tosses the apple to Ryuk, as Light did when alive *The Shinigami walks into a bright flash of light at the top of the stairs *The fact that Ryuk says "Light" after the Unnamed Shinigami leaves *The Unnamed Shinigami does not stay to hear the end of Ryuk's story, yet he is very interested about the human world... If he is the reincarnation of Light, he knows how the story ends and does not want or need to hear about it *Ryuk himself has some vague dialogue that could be interpreted as him referring to the Unnamed Shinigami as Light: After looking at his own Death Note, Ryuk speaks to Light as if he was there; "You were not God. You were just...gone already?" This could mean Ryuk was addressing the unnamed Shinigami as Light or that he was simply reminiscing. *Ryuk also allegedly addresses the shinigami as Light when he asks "Wouldn't you agree, Light?" at the very end of the special. Arguments against Ryuk has said in the past that a human who uses the note can go to neither Heaven nor Hell, possibly hinting that humans who use the Death Note will become shinigami through use of the note. However, the last rule of the Death Note states that all humans die, and when they do, "the place they go is Mu" (mu meaning, "nothingness") which many skeptics believe disproves this point. However, the specifics of what exactly this means remain unclear; it is never explained if to "to Mu" means that the human ceases to exist, are destroyed, go to a realm referred to as Mu, or has some other symbolic meaning (which considering the symbolism-heavy nature of Death Note, this is always an open possibility). Some believers theorize that the shinigami realm (or shinigami themselves) itself could be Mu, in connection with its bareness, and Ryuk's comment that it is, "dying." This could be supported by the fact that no information about just how shinigami come into being is given (as it has been confirmed that they are incapable of procreation), the theory being that humans who use the Death Note themselves become shinigami, and as Ryuk explains to Light several times, Notes finding their way into the human realm and being used by humans is apparently not an entirely uncommon occurence. Some believe that becoming a shinigami and forced to roam the shinigami realm for eternity could be perceived as a fate worse than death itself, an existance in which life offers little, with little the sentenced can do about it. Considering that many shinigami are already portrayed as being unsatisfied with their existance, this could give credence to the idea that becoming a shinigami itself is a punishment, this could be supported by the fact that the only escape for this life would be death and while the Death Note have rules regarding Shinigami's death and even execution, the only shown way in which a Shinigami can die is through an act of compassion by saving a human's life which they are expected to take away as shown with Ren, in this way it could be heavily supported that the reincarnation as a Shinigami is if not a punishment an unpleasant one and the only way to escape it is through a selfless act of compassion even against one's best interests, this resulted in beign redeemed and thus released from the existence as a Shinigami. However, until anything is confirmed by canon sources, speculation remains speculation. General in Favour arguments. Indeed humans who use the Death Note not going to heaven or hell could hint humans who use the Death Note become a Shinigami, while this seen disproven by a rule saying all humans go to Nothingness or Mu when they die Mu could be a reference to the decaying Shinigami World. Furthermore, although the Death Note states all humans will eventually die and enter Nothingness; it states nothing about a human who has used a Death Note and wheter they will got to there. Perhaps this is why they say do not assume a person will go to heaven or hell if they use the book. Another strong hint is Ryuk at one point saying Light that he was already more of a Shinigami than a lot of Shinigamis, hinting again that becoming a Shinigami might be possible, the contrast with the above mentioned rule could be explained again if Mu is the name of the Shinigami World or if the above rule just mentions a general rule for almost all humans, in which case Light becoming a Shinigami through his use of the Death Note and development of Shinigami characteristics would be an exception to the rule. This is also in line with the general beliefs about the cycle of reincarnation, in said cycle a human or other specie can become another one through reincarnation by developing the qualities of the specie he will reincarnate into. For instance the general rule for humans would be to reincarnate again into humans, however it is as well possible that a human can be reborn as an animal or a god, even if it is not the general norm. Should Light have truly become a shinigami, this may have, in a way, been a fulfillment of his wish in life to be a god, though not necessarily in the aspect he expected. Continuality differences in Main Death Note and Relight films It is a fact that the unnamed Shinigami character appears only in Death Note Relight 1: Visions of a God, and is only considered canon to the Relight specials. Death Note Relight 1 contains updated dialogue, as well as a few new scenes, but does not outright contradict the events shown in the original anime or manga. Death Note Relight 2 essentially rewrites everything that happened after the time-skip in the original anime, and creates a few plot holes. The story contains many small adjustments to the plot, as well as a few major ones, such as Teru Mikami and Kiyomi Takada killing the SPK (an act originally performed by the Mafia). It is told from no particular point of view, although it opens with L reviewing the events of Relight 1. Even some of the rules of the Death Note do not apply in the Relights. It is explained in How to Use VI of the Death Note rules that the conditions for death will not be realized unless it is physically possible for that human or it is reasonably assumed to be carried out by that human. However, in the added scene where Mikami kills the Kira dissenters, one of his victims die an unnatural death by having his head twisted at a 360 degree angle. Overall it is widely possible that Light’s possible reincarnation as the unnamed Shinigami is entirely exclusive to the relight films. Category:theory